Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-04-02
WHERE DEAD LETTERS GO.
An Interesting Branch Of the Post
Office Department.

Office Department.
OPEN AND WOMEN WHO EXAMINE LErTERs-rHE
CARELEssNEss OF THE AMERICAN PEoPLE-IN TIE
CATACoMBs, ETC.
"Death from inadvertence or death from old age"
Is the way that Mr.. Perry, the chief clerk OF the
Dead-Ietter ONCE, designateS the two classes into
which all mail matter that comes to the Office is
divided. That classification was made however,
In the course OF conversation with STAR reporter
In Official utterances more stately language is
used, and when Mr.. Baird, the superintendent,
pens his annual report he divides all mail matter
that IS handled by the Office into unavailable mat
ter and unclaimed, or dead matter proper. Matter
belonging to both classes may be regarded dead
as soon as 1t Is sent to the Dead-Letter Office but
owing to the improved methods adopted and the
skill and ingenuity OF those engaged in the work.
DEATH In large proportion of cases. proves to be
only q comatose condition. case OF syncope
which skllful application OF restoratives over
newed V1gor 10 Its destination. The unavailable
matter, or that which dies from inadvertence on
the part or the sender, is that which is held for
postage which has illegible incorrect, or INSULT
Gent addresses, or where the matter Is placed in
the mails contrary to the postal laws and regula-
IONS. as ior instance destructive matter and OBJ
scene matter. Now, the other class, or dead mat
ter proper, is such matter as, having reached the
Office OF distribution, is either unclaimed re-
nature or because of indefinite or fictitious adj
dress cannot be delivered. The classification
above referred to is made after the matter reaches
the Dead-Letter ONCE where It comes every day
In great sacks from all parts OF the country. In
the main, these bulky SACKS OF lifeless mail matter
may DE said TO represent the carelessness OF the
American people, although some portion Of It is
witness OF the popular ignorance OF the postal
laws ana regulstions. Whatever may be the
cause or the premature demise OF the letters they
ma upon their arrival at the Dead-Letter Office
that they have come to Lively receiving vault
SCENE IN THE OFFICE.
The sacks are shot upstairs by an elevator into
great hall with lofty ceiling running through
two stories. The floor OF this hall is covered with
desks, long tables and sacks full and empty.
There Is a busy corps Of clerks, some armed with
sharp, gnttering knives, and others bending over
supported by spiral columns, and dark green
curtain above the iron railing shuts of from view
the clerks occupying the gallery, who are mostly
mail brings over 16, 600 letters and packages the
year around. One hundred and four pairs OF brisk
hands seize upon this mass OF material, and in a
short time it is arranged, CLASSIFIED, and the
records made up 80 that ali that enters the Office
can be accounted for. The Office, looking at 1t from
called mill, through which every thing that
enters must pass in regular channel In fact,
representation OF the method of work in the Office
winch uses the idea OF a mill-hODper.
There were over 100000 pieces of mail mat
ter received at the office last Year, an increase OF
about per cent over that received during the
previous year. or this number over 1000. 600
pieces are dead matter, pure and simple; $780,
600 being ordinary unclaimed letters. The
amount OF mail matter that is sent TO persons
who, 1or some reason or other, never receive 1t
figures, might be used by some phiIosOphic
writer fond OF figures as the basis for an argu-
Inent that the people Of the United States are
largely migratory In their habits. For instance it
Is SAID that there are over 1000 letters received
In this city each year which are directed to per-
sons whom the carriers do not know and can find no
aHv
but II would seem that good proportion of the
people VINO ought to read the advertised lists
never 90, and SO the letters come to the Dead
Letter Office.
THE OPENERS DESK.
Then they find their way to the openers desk
which is long table divided into compartments
by low wooden partitions, and before each of the
compartments sits clerk. There are IL openers
at present. Their business is to open letters and
the majority OF people Will probably be inclined to
the opinion that the position Is a good deal like
that occupied by the late Tantalus for the reason
ina. while they are required to open letters they
are forbidden 10 read letters. To read letter is
not only against the regulations OF the office but
Is against the law. All day long they are Obliged
TO sit there, thrusting their lOng-pointed knife
blades into one corner OF the envelope and then
ripping 1t open, remove the contents, fold it with
the envelope. and place IL in pile on their desks
and then go On 10 the next Perhaps like the
clerks behind the counter In candy stores who are
the OBJECTS OF the consuming envy OF every healthy
normal child, they become Satiated with the nov
city OF handling so many letters and the opening
OF letter Is no longer accompanied with that
thrill OF curiosity that burning desire to know its
contents, which Is the common lot OF Ordinary hui
mainly. But there ara no women at that desk
They are all men-aEd Old men at that Staid,
SOBER, steady-golhg men, fathers of families and
patriarchS In the church. For it is not alone the
temptations OF curiosity that have to be encoun-
W s6a az wo Sns openers up Gas desk that Were all
the fraternity long before this
THE LADY CLERKS
The women already number three-fOUrth s Of the
clerical force OF the Office and In their lofty percb
in the gallery they examine the opened letters for
the address OF the writer, or some evidence upon
which 10 base reasonable conclusion as to the
origin or destination OF the letters They are NOT
declared therefore, from the openers table on ac-
count OF an alleged prepOnderance OF female crlri
OSity. The custom or having men at this desk has
rather curious history, as STAR reporter ascer-
tanned In talking with an old employee of the ONCE
IL used TO be the practice to employ the mails in
sending forward mass of Indecent books pictures
&C., and all that class OF publications which min,
lster 70 the prurient and depraved taste. or
course there was good deal OF this stun in the
letters that came to the Dead Letter Office and IL
was rather disagreeable duty for a woman sur
rounded by men to open letter containing an In
pTactlce was adopted OF employing men at the
opening tables For some years past there has
ceiyed at the Office and it may be concluded that
very little goes through the mails The laws are
9ulIs severe IN TINS partiular and then it s
have had great influence in the suDpressiOn q.
this infamous business. COmStock is not only the
agent OF the society organized suppress publica
lions or this character but he also has the author
Ivy OF special agent OF the Department to make
arrests and to inspect pOst-ofice matter. He, how
ever, does not receive any compensation from the
Government. AS soon as he hears Of a Circular
being sent out advertising publications OF an i'm
proper character he at once visits the place men,
Toned captures ali the stock on hand and arrests
the proprietor. In this way the evil is n1Dped in
the bud, and this explains, in great measure
the comparative freedom OF the mails from matter
OF this kind.
MONEY IN LETTERS
As has been already Indicated, the openers must
be persons Of character for the reason that great
many letters contain money. When money ia
found In the letters, or, indeed any Enclosure the
openers are required to make in book provided
for the purpose an entry OF the amount OF money
a 10 oh of no tpc